D.J Holt News

With the exception of one match-up this morning, most Cocke County elementary school squads wrapped up the 2009 portion of their schedule on Monday, December 14 as Centerview traveled to Del Rio, Northwest hosted Bridgeport, Grassy Fork played at Edgemont and Parrottsville was at home to Smoky Mountain.

Many say he keeps to himself. Others believe he simply doesn't have a lot to say.

The Pacific-10 Conference's leading tackler didn't play much Saturday - just enough to clinch a victory for Cal.

Linebacker Cecil Whiteside committed last April to Cal and took an official visit to Berkeley this past weekend.

One-third of the way through the 2009 season, the progress report on Cal's new-look linebackers is just that - a work in progress.

Sophomore linebacker Mychal Kendricks out of Hoover High has stepped into the Cal starting lineup just fine, thank you.

To prepare for Saturday's road opener at Minnesota, the Cal football team surrounded itself this week with signs of what caused last year's struggles away from Memorial Stadium.

The film room has not been kind to Cal's football team so far this season. For the second time in three games, the Bears are preparing for an opponent with a new defensive coordinator.

Cal running back Shane Vereen, left, battles Eastern Washington's Dante Calcote for a pass in the end zone during the second half of their NCAA football game in Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.

The Bears posted a resounding 59-7 victory over Championship Subdivision opponent Eastern Washington, showing an efficient offense and a defense that was able to adjust on the fly in front of 58,083 fans on a cloud-covered day at Memorial Stadium.

If the linebackers were supposed to be the weak link on defense coming into 2009, it looks like the Cal football team is going to be all right on that side of the ball.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller When Jahvid Best infamously spewed his breakfast onto the Byrd Stadium turf at Maryland last September, it pretty much summed up the day for California.

For those of you wondering, no I'm not trying to imitate Jim Rome . Anyways clones, with about a week before the season starts, let's get down to business.

Losing three stellar linebackers may lead onlookers, and maybe even opposing offensive coordinators, to conclude that Cal is hurting in that one unit of an otherwise loaded defense.

Kevin Riley was efficient, accurate and comfortable quarterbacking the Cal football team's offense on Wednesday.